Springfield Mile II/American Flat Track
Springfield Mile II
Springfield, Illinois
September 6, 2021
AFT Mission SuperTwins Provisional Free Practice 1 Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Jared Mees (Ind), 35.942
2. Brandon Robinson (Ind), 35.989
3. Jeffrey Carver Jr. (Ind), 35.989
4. Sammy Halbert (Ind), 36.065
5. Briar Bauman (Ind), 36.068
6. Brandon Price (Ind), 36.190
7. Bronson Bauman (Ind), 36.273
8. JD Beach (Yam), 36.283
9. Robert Pearson (Ind), 36.431
10. Kolby Carlile (Yam), 36.481
11. Davis Fisher (Ind), 36.526
12. Bryan Smith (Ind), 36.663
13. James Rispoli (Har), 36.850
14. Hayden Gillim (Har), 37.232
15. Jarod Vanderkooi (Ind), 37.927
16. Patrick Buchanan (Ind), 38.461
AFT Production Twins Provisional Free Practice 1 Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Dallas Daniels (Yam), 36.632
2. Jesse Janisch (Har), 36.799
3. Chad Cose (Har), 36.804
4. Jeremiah Duffy (Kaw), 36.888
5. Tanner Dean (Kaw), 36.933
6. Morgen Mischler (Har), 37.017
7. Trent Lowe (Kaw), 37.024
8. Ryan Varnes (Kaw), 37.044
9. Dylan Bell (Har), 37.110
10. Patrick Buchanan (Har), 37.124
11. Cory Texter (Yam), 37.190
12. Nick Armstrong (Yam), 37.225
13. David Wiggin (Har), 37.333
14. Danny Eslick (Kaw), 37.339
15. Jordan Harris (Kaw), 37.452
16. Dan Bromley (Yam), 37.475
17. Kevin Stollings (Kaw), 38.478
18. Shelby Miller (Kaw), 38.569
19. Gary Ketchum (Kaw), 38.712
20. Ben Lowe (Yam), 41.391
21. Ryan Wells (KTM), no time recorded
Provisional AFT Production Twins Semi 1 Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Dallas Daniels (Yam), 8 laps
2. Jesse Janisch (Har), -00.769 seconds
3. Cory Texter (Yam), -01.707
4. Nick Armstrong (Yam), -03.246
5. Jordan Harris (Kaw), -03.308
6. Ben Lowe (Yam), -03.507
7. Patrick Buchanan (Har), -03.523
8. Danny Eslick (Kaw), -03.743
9. Shelby Miller (Kaw), -11.959
10. Gary Ketchum (Kaw), -13.711
11. Ryan Wells (KTM), -8 laps
Provisional AFT Production Twins Semi 2 Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Tanner Dean (Kaw), 8 laps
2. Morgen Mischler (Har), -00.039 seconds
3. Chad Cose (Har), -00.065
4. Jeremiah Duffy (Kaw), -00.207
5. Trent Lowe (Kaw), -01.356
6. Dan Bromley (Yam), -02.836
7. Dylan Bell (Har), -04.792
8. David Wiggin (Har), -08.169
9. Ryan Varnes (Kaw), -6 laps
10. Kevin Stollings (Kaw), -6 laps
Provisional Mission SuperTwins Semi 1 Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Sammy Halbert (Ind), 8 laps
2. Jarod Vanderkooi (Ind), -00.118 seconds
3. Brandon Price (Ind), -00.239
4. Jeffrey Carver Jr. (Ind), -00.408
5. JD Beach (Yam), -01.671
6. Davis Fisher (Ind), -01.697
7. Robert Pearson (Ind), -04.446
8. Hayden Gillim (Har), -06.674
Provisional Mission SuperTwins Semi 2 Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Jared Mees (Ind), 8 laps
2. Brandon Robinson (Ind), -00.099 seconds
3. Briar Bauman (Ind), -00.103
4. Bronson Bauman (Ind), -01.715
5. James Rispoli (Har), -03.651
6. Kolby Carlile (Yam), -06.547
7. Bryan Smith (Ind), -06.635
8. Patrick Buchanan (Ind), -09.078
Provisional AFT Production Twins Memphis Shades Babe DeMay Challenge Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Dallas Daniels (Yam), 4 laps
2. Jesse Janisch (Har), -00.025 seconds
3. Morgen Mischler (Har), -00.234
4. Tanner Dean (Kaw), -00.355
Provisional Mission SuperTwins Mission Challenge Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Jared Mees (Ind), 4 laps
2. Sammy Halbert (Ind), -00.038 seconds
3. Jarod Vanderkooi (Ind), -00.373
4. Brandon Robinson (Ind), -00.443
Provisional AFT Production Twins Main Event Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Dallas Daniels (Yam), 18 laps
2. Jesse Janisch (Har), -00.022 seconds
3. Chad Cose (Har), -00.038
4. Cory Texter (Yam), -00.089
5. Morgen Mischler (Har), -01.614
6. Dan Bromley (Yam), -02.658
7. Tanner Dean (Kaw), -03.796
8. Jeremiah Duffy (Kaw), -06.423
9. Kevin Stollings (Kaw), -08.164
10. Danny Eslick (Kaw), -08.259
11. Jordan Harris (Kaw), -08.265
12. Patrick Buchanan (Har), -11.325
13. Trent Lowe (Kaw), -11.379
14. Ben Lowe (Yam), -11.515
15. Dylan Bell (Har), -11.526
16. David Wiggin (Har), -21.239
17. Nick Armstrong (Yam), -4 laps
Provisional Mission SuperTwins Main Event Results (all on Dunlop tires):
1. Jared Mees (Ind), 25 laps
2. Sammy Halbert (Ind), -01.135 seconds
3. Briar Bauman (Ind), -01.160
4. Brandon Robinson (Ind), -01.226
5. Jeffrey Carver Jr. (Ind), -01.400
6. Davis Fisher (Ind), -03.310
7. Jarod Vanderkooi (Ind), -03.360
8. Brandon Price (Ind), -03.402
9. JD Beach (Yam), -03.623
10. Kolby Carlile (Yam), -03.779
11. James Rispoli (Har), -04.564
12. Bryan Smith (Ind), -05.460
13. Robert Pearson (Ind), -08.829
14. Patrick Buchanan (Ind), -08.911
15. Hayden Gillim (Har), -10.101
16. Bronson Bauman (Ind), -4 laps
More, from a press release issued by American Flat Track:
Mees and Daniels Sweep Up in Springfield
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (September 6, 2021) – Jared Mees (No. 9 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) left the field in his wake — twice — on Monday to complete the Progressive American Flat Track Labor Day Weekend sweep in a one-sided Memphis Shades Springfield Mile II presented by Law Tigers at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, Illinois.
After being accused of closing down the lines of his rivals during Sunday’s victory, Mees responded by making any such allegations irrelevant on Monday. He immediately shot out into the lead and drove away from a five-rider pack of would-be pursuers, building up an eight-plus-second advantage with just two minutes remaining.
Despite the monster lead, he was forced to prove his Springfield supremacy one more time, when a red flag brought the race to a momentary halt at that point.
While Sammy Halbert (No. 69 Coolbeth-Nila Racing Indian FTR750) managed to slide in front for a few seconds, Mees ultimately reestablished himself out front en route to a 1.134-second margin of victory.
‘20 Springfield Mile winner Halbert came home second while Mission SuperTwins presented by S&S Cycle championship leader Briar Bauman (No. 1 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) finished third — albeit not until after surviving a close call with wild card Jeffrey Carver, Jr. (No. 23 Happy Trails Racing/DPC/Bryan Bigelow Indian FTR750).
Mees’ sixth- and seventh-career Springfield Mile wins worked to tighten up the title fight considerably. Bauman continues to lead, but a once healthy 25-point gap has been reduced to just 12 (254-242) with two more Mees’ friendly Miles directly ahead.
Afterward, Mees said, “After the chatter that Briar had up on the podium last night, I just figured today I’d drop the hammer and really put some distance on them to where I could do whatever I wanted out there. Right before the Main Event, we made a few small changes that ended up being a huge difference. I’ve got the best team out there, and we got the thing hooked up better, running faster, and just smoothed out. It was an incredible weekend for us.”
Third-ranked Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) finished fourth with home-track favorite Carver completing the top five.
Davis Fisher (No. 67 BMC Racing/Dick Wall 60 Indian FTR750) — who was the fastest man on track save Mees at one point — finished sixth, followed by Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750), Brandon Price (No. 92 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750), JD Beach (No. 95 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT), and Kolby Carlile (No. 36 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) to round out the top ten.
AFT Production Twins presented by Vance & Hines
Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07) pulled off the nearly unthinkable Springfield double-double with a heart-pounding victory in Monday’s AFT Production Twins presented by Vance & Hines Main Event.
A hugely entertaining contest saw as many as eight riders still within shot of the victory with two minutes to go. Adding to the entertainment factor was the fact that several different lines were in play, with riders routinely railing corners several riders wide, utilizing extreme low and high lines in search of the fastest way around the high-speed Mile.
The final lap opened with Daniels leading a tight four-rider pack that also included Jesse Janisch (No. 96 Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson XG750R), Chad Cose (No. 49 Voodoo Ranger/Roof Systems Harley-Davidson XG750R) and Cory Texter (No. 65 G&G Racing/Yamaha Racing MT-07).
Janisch threw it up the inside of Daniels entering Turn 3 and held the advantage exiting 4 for the final time. Daniels sucked up in the draft and swung alongside just as Cose and Texter fanned out four-wide in the sprint to the checkered flag.
Daniels just nipped ahead of Janisch by 0.022 seconds, with Cose in third another 0.016 seconds back. Title leader Texter missed the podium in fourth, despite coming up a scant 0.089 seconds short of the victory.
In addition to sweeping both AFT Singles and both AFT Production Twins races this weekend in Springfield, Daniels now owns three wins and one runner-up in four career AFT Production Twins starts. He said, “Before the Main Event, the team told me to move around a little bit. I knew it was going to be a close race — the track got slick and it was multiple line racing…
“It was crazy. I saw Jesse poking a wheel, and I knew exactly what he was going to do. I just sat there and waited. As soon as he came up, I tried to give him a little bit of room and he spun it up. ‘Here it is!’ I just poured that Yamaha stomper power on and blew right by that thing. These Harleys were running awesome. Hats off to Jesse — to come right off the couch and be on the podium at the Springfield Mile is insane.
“It’s awesome to sweep the weekend. It was kind of a rough night at the Short Track and we turned it around. And we kind of turned around the whole season it seems like.”
Morgen Mischler (No. 13 Vance & Hines/Mission Foods Harley-Davidson XG750R) grabbed his fourth top-five of the weekend in fifth, with Dan Bromley (No. 62 Memphis Shades/Vinson Construction Yamaha MT-07) bouncing back from his Sunday disappointment in sixth.
Despite threatening to break away at the front at one point in the race, Tanner Dean (No. 38 Racing Unlimited Kawasaki/Bel Ray Oils Kawasaki Ninja 650), ended up coming home in seventh.
Texter now leads Bromley by 67 points (249-182), which puts him in prime position to clinch his second AFT Production Twins title next weekend in Sacramento.
The Memphis Shades Springfield Mile I & II presented by Law Tigers will premiere back-to-back on NBCSN on Sunday, September 12, starting at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT. The Springfield Short Track Doubleheader will air one week later on NBCSN, starting at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT. Both broadcasts will feature exclusive features and cutting-edge aerial drone and onboard footage.
Next Up:
There’s no time to rest as Progressive AFT will immediately travel to another doubleheader at a legendary Mile, the Law Tigers Sacramento Mile I & II presented by Knauf Insulation on Saturday, September 11, and Sunday, September 12. You can order your tickets online now at https://www.etix.com/ticket/v/15860/sacramento-mile. For those viewing from home, live coverage will be available on any device for only $1.99 a month via TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold.
For more information, please visit http://www.americanflattrack.com.
To score the latest gear for the Progressive American Flat Track fan, visit our official merchandise store at https://store.americanflattrack.com.
More, from a press release issued by Yamaha:
Daniels Shines in Springfield
Estenson Racing’s Dallas Daniels came out on top in today’s thrilling AFT Production Twins Springfield Mile II Main Event at the Illinois State Fairgrounds. The victory capped off a stellar Labor Day weekend in his home state of Illinois, taking four wins and sweeping both Progressive American Flat Track doubleheaders on the short track and mile. JD Beach and Kolby Carlile scored a pair of top-10 finishes in the Mission SuperTwins class despite limited track time and changing conditions.
With challengers in the mix on day two, the young Daniels showed wisdom beyond his years. Yesterday’s fastest qualifier result carried over to today’s second round, and he lined up on the front row for his Semi. The 18-year-old missed a shift at the start and found himself mid-pack, but he quickly recovered and weaved his way to the front to grab another win. He backed that up with another victory in the thrilling four-lap shootout — the Memphis Shades Babe DeMay Challenge — crossing the line .024 of a second of the competition to take the prize money and his second win of the day.
In the Main Event, Daniels grabbed the holeshot but wasn’t able to make a clean break from the pack. He was shuffled to the runner-up spot early in the race and then searched for different lines to find an advantage. The defending AFT Singles Champion stayed in the top three and took over the lead a couple of laps after the halfway mark. In typical Springfield Mile fashion, it all came down to the final lap and a drag race out of Turn 4 to the finish line. Daniels was passed in Turn 3, but he kept his cool and positioned himself to use the draft and take the win by .022 of a second.
On the SuperTwins side, only one practice session before the Semi race presented challenges with the changing track conditions. Lined up on the third row, Beach got a decent start inside the top 10 and was eighth when the red flag came out, while Carlile came back from 11th to ninth to line up behind his teammate in the staggered restart. The dirt track/road racer got a good start and was sixth but ultimately crossed the line ninth, with Carlile right behind in 10th.
Next up for the Estenson Racing team is another Progressive American Flat Track doubleheader at the legendary Sacramento Mile on September 11-12.
Tommy Hayden – Estenson Racing Team Manager
“We had a pretty good day today here at Springfield on the second day of the doubleheader. Dallas rode really well all day in the Production Twins class. He was fastest in practice, won his Semi, the dash for cash, and then won a really tight one in the Main. Today was a lot different, though, compared to yesterday. It was more of a battle, but he was able to get the best of the other guys coming off of four and squeaked by for the win. That was great for his learning curve to be in a battle like that on a Mile and get some experience with drafting and strategy. I’m definitely happy with what we saw out of him today, and really the whole weekend. To sweep both the races Friday night and then both days in the Production Twins class, that’s really good to see, and we’re really proud of him for that.
“On the SuperTwins side, both guys were pretty close on pace all day. We were just a little off, and there was one spot on the racetrack that we just struggled with a little bit. For the majority of the track, I think we were just as fast as anyone and just off of the pace of the group that was battling for the podium. In the end, they were ninth and 10th, which was not the finish that we wanted, but we definitely made some progress here compared to last year. I think we’ve got some stuff to build on for next week in Sacramento, and hopefully, we can find that little bit that we were missing here.”
Dallas Daniels – Estenson Racing AFT Production Twins and AFT Singles
“It was an amazing weekend here at Springfield! It really couldn’t have gone any better. The track changed quite a bit today; it was a lot smoother because they had a lot of time to work on it. Since I’ve never raced here before this weekend, I didn’t really know what the track was going to do. I talked to the team to see what they thought, and we made some changes for the dash for cash. We were able to get the win, but I was kind of struggling a lot with the feel and the grip.
“So we made some changes and went back out for the Main Event. I was running some different lines and had some guys with me, and I wasn’t pulling away like I was the day before. I was trying not to run on the groove because I thought that’s what I needed to do. Once I finally got into the lead, I went up to the groove and realized that it was actually better. After watching the SuperTwins Main Event, I’m glad I did that because when they were on the groove, they were going faster and faster each lap.
“It was definitely a huge learning experience for me. It was good to have to draft somebody at the line and not just win by a straightaway because I’m not learning anything when it’s like that. So, it was good to have a win pulling away from everyone and then also good to win one at the line. It was a dream weekend here at Springfield. I really needed a weekend like this after Peoria, when we were in a slump, feeling beat up after that big crash and behind on points. It seems like any time we’re behind; we can bounce back. We’re going to take this momentum into Sacramento and try to get my first mile win on a 450.”
JD Beach – Estenson Racing Mission SuperTwins
“The second day at the Springfield Mile is always a toss-up with how the track will be. American Flat Track did a good job smoothing the track out a bit more, and the groove was wide, and we were running pretty high up on the track. The crew did a great job getting the bike dialed in to go racing with the limited track time. Every time we got on track, the bike was better, but we were losing time mid-turn compared to others. In the Main Event, we started rolling pretty well, but I lost the lead pack. Then as the race went on, I started to catch them just a little bit, but after we had that red flag, it was like they found another gear and pulled away. It was a rough day with another ninth-place finish, but we’ll keep working and try again next weekend in Sacramento.”
Kolby Carlile – Estenson Racing Mission SuperTwins
“Today in practice, the track was pretty wet, which didn’t really give us much insight for how it was going to be for the Semi. Then I just couldn’t find grip on the track at all in the Semi; it was really bad for me, honestly. In the Main Event, we had a good jump but it took me a little while to find the line that my bike wanted to run around on. Once I was able to find that line, I had a really good pace and I was able to run down quite a few people in front of me. Before the red flag came out, I was really confident that we were going to catch up and make a couple more passes and try to take a jab at getting to the front pack before the race was over. After the restart, I didn’t get the best jump, so I just did what I could do in the last few laps and was able to get a 10th-place finish. In the end, it was a big improvement from last year and a good weekend overall.”
More, from a press release issued by Indian Motorcycle:
INDIAN MOTORCYCLE WRECKING CREW RIDER JARED MEES SWEEPS SPRINGFIELD MILE DOUBLEHEADER
Back-to-Back Wins Closes Gap Between Mees & Points Leader Briar Bauman, Two-Man Wrecking Crew to Battle for Championship with Three Races Remaining
SPRINGFIELD, ILL. (September 6, 2021) – Indian Motorcycle Racing, presented by Progressive Motorcycle Insurance, carried out its 2021 American Flat Track (AFT) season with back-to-back wins during this weekend’s doubleheader at the Springfield Mile I and II. Ultimately, Indian Motorcycle Wrecking Crew rider Jared Mees swept the weekend and closed the gap with the factory teammate and season’s points leader, Briar Bauman.
During Sunday’s Springfield Mile I, Mees and Bauman battled closely, as the two were neck-and-neck during the final lap. Though it was Mees who edged out Bauman to capture his sixth-career Springfield Mile victory, while Bauman finished second. Indian Motorcycle privateer Brandon Robinson rounded out the podium with his sixth podium of the season.
On Monday, knowing he still had ground to make up on the leaderboard, Mees came out to the Springfield Mile II and dominated the field – ultimately reaching the finish line more a second before Indian Motorcycle privateer Sammy Halbert. The win marked Mees’ seventh-career Springfield Mile win and reignited a championship battle with just three races remaining.
“Anyone who knows Jared or has been following his career knows this was a typical Jared Mees performance. With his back against the ropes, a pair of wins were his best option to keep his championship hopes alive,” said Gary Gray, Vice President Racing, Service & Technology. “That said, I’m sure he didn’t go popping champagne bottles, as he’s quickly moving on to the next and preparing for the final three races of the season.”
Mees, a five-time Grand National Champion who last won in 2018, has his sights set on reclaiming the No. 1 plate. Facing a 12-point deficit, Mees will have his work cut out for him as Bauman, the two-time reigning SuperTwins Champion, has remained consistent all year, as he’s reached the podium in all but two races this season.
The 2021 AFT season will continue Saturday and Sunday, September 11-12, at the Sacramento Mile doubleheader. For more information on Indian Motorcycle Racing, visit IndianMotorcycle.com and follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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